Hi I am nearing the end (Week 40 of 42) of Half Iron Low Volume with Strength and Yoga and it’s been awesome. My only concern is that to date my longest run has been ~11km and I can’t see any other runs in the coming week that are going to go much beyond that. To jump from 11km to 21km on race day seems a bit extreme. I guess there could be a few explanations:
Running too slow - as the runs are based on time not distance I could have been running too slowly but I don’t believe that’s the case (avg ~5:30min/km).
Low volume training plan - as the plan is low volume maybe it deliberately leaves a lot to race day grit of teeth
Science! - That as majority of the runs are bricks / or certainly following cycling sessions that this is building the run stamina more than it would appear.
Mistake - I was reading a thread on duathlon training plan and there was a mistake where the running volume was too high - so could this be a case where the running volume is too low?
Could someone reassure me that all is ok? It doesn’t matter too much as I have no half iron race planned - I will do one off my own back but it doesn’t matter too much. My main concern is that I will roll straight into a full iron plan and for that I would want it to be training me correctly to be able to comfortably(!?) complete the distance on race day.
I can’t comment on the training plan specifics but having done a few HIM, if your overall training is good, you should be fine. Running is my clear weakness as well as the discipline is like the least. What worked for me was not single long runs but volume per week. I wanted to do at least 1x the distance every week to 1.5x-2x on higher volume weeks. That would be across a few runs.
I’m not saying that is right for everyone but it worked for me.
Two other quick comments.
Your average time referenced above is a bit faster than mine and I managed just fine. You got this.
The whole time v distance on the training plans I used when I started bothered me at first as well, given I am a slower runner. I would often extend beyond the time guidelines on the runs to hit the weekly distance goals I was looking for.
Short a completely customized plan, all the plans are going to be directionally correct for the masses, and perfect for very few. Trust your instincts and experience and make adjustments as you feel necessary. If you think major deviations are needed, a call with a coach would be a good investment.
Thanks for the helpful comments and encouragement. I’ve also done a number of HIM/IMs as well but the plans I have previously followed (not SYSTM) have always got much closer to the race distance. That being said I agree with the comments and we’ll see what happens thanks again for the comments.
It is challenging to prescribe Duration base plans to a variety of ability levels in regard to pace. I would also agree that it would be a good idea to increase your capstone big run a little only if you feel you can maintain good form, and you want to end the run feeling like you have more in the tank. ~15 to 16k should be plenty, but again I caution, if you cannot hold adequate form and if the session levels you depleted this could be big trouble. It is always better to be a little undertrained than overtrained. Exercise some caution and use wisdom. You want to be feeling fresh and ready to rip when you finish your plan. Good luck, and yes if you every need to schedule a chat, I would be happy to look at your training plan, data, and offer any insight that I can. All the best!
thanks again for the comments.